Improvement in looms for weaving pile fabrics



v Sheets--Sheeth' R. EICKEMEYER 8L G. NARR.

- Looms for Weaving Pile Fabrics.

No,!50,0l l. PatentedApm21,1s74.

5 SheetsASheet 2. R. EICKEMEYER & G. NARR.

vLooms for Weaving Pile Fabrics. 10.150,011. Patented Apr|21,1874.

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' l 5Sheets--Sheet4. R. EICKEMEYER 8L G. NARR.

Looms for Weaving Pile Fabrics. N0.l50,0ll, Patented Apri|2l,l874.

5`S-heets--Shee't5. R. EICKEMEYER & G. NARR. Looms for Weaving PileFabrics.

No.l50,0ll.

Patented April 21,1874.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RUDOLF EICKEMEYEE AND GEORGE NARR, OF YONKERS, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN LOOIVIS FOR WEAVING PILE FABRICS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 150,011, dated April21, 1874; application filed April 4, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that we, RUDOLF EIGKEMEYER and GEORGE NARR, both of'Yonkcrs,in the county of lVestchester and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Il'nprove-` ments in Looms, of which thefollowing is a specification:

This invent-ion relates more particularly to looms for the manufactureof tufted or pile fabrics, such as carpets, rugs, mats, cloakings,imitations of skins and velvets, and all kinds of fabrics in which a napis formed by the shuttle; thread on the face of the goods; but theinvention is also applicable to looms for the manufacture of goods inwhich part of the shuttle-thread is cutoff from the surface of thegoods, such as shawls, or fabrics having tufts or threads of a differentcolor, length, or mate rial, put or arranged at intervals on the surfaceof the goods, which may either be fancy or plain.

The ordinary process heretofore adopted for making these and other likekinds of goods consisted in iloating the shuttle-thread on the surfaceor facefire/fzbric, binIiiTat-certain point-s, and afterward cutting itwith a knife run by hand in the spaces between the rows of tufts. Thisrequiresra great deal of care and skill, and by such process it isimpossible to make longer tufts than half the space between each row oftufts.

It is common to use leading wires or strings, operated either by theordinary or any suitable harness-motion, or by the jacquard-machine ofthe loom, and so connected with a cutting mechanism that each tuff. isfed to the cutter or cutters by the action of the lay, and is cut at therequired point to produce the desired length.

Our invention consists in a system of lifting wires or strin gs operatedby the action of the loom, said wires setting up the tufts at rightangles, or thereabout, with the surface of the fabric after the tuftshave passed the cutting mechanism. It is preferred to operate theseleading and lifting wires by the treadles.

Whenever the loops or iioats are of unequal length, orthe leading-wiresare so operated that the loops are' cut into tufts of unequal length,then the goods will present an unequal surface, which latter can bemodified and arranged to present any desired raised ligure.

\Vhenever the leading-wires are in the middle between the points wherethev tufts are fastened to the back, then the tufts will present asmooth and level surface.

The pile may also be made in patterns of -different colors, as well asof different lengths. Thus, supposing a certain color is to appear in apattern in the middle of a set of tufts of another color, theshuttle-thread is fastened into the fabric in the proper place, and eachend is cut off at the proper point, thereby cutting out a piece of theshuttle-thread whenever the distance from one tuft of the same thread tothe next is greater than necessary to produce the length ofthe tuftrequired.

We are thus enabled not only to produce tufts of unequal length, but ofany desired or different color at any point, without covering the shuttlc-thread in the body of the fabric any farther` than is necessary toproperly secure the tufts.

In the accompanying drawing, which forms part of this specification,Figure l represents a side view of a loom, in part, having ourimprovement applied to it. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same; Fig. 3, alongitudinal vertical scction thereof. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are verticalsections, representing three different modifications of the cuttingapparatus as substitut-es for that shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 ofthedrawing. Fig. 7 is a plan of the cutting device or apparatus shown inFig. 6. Figs. 8, 9, and 10 are sectional views of the pile fabric duringthe process of manufacture, showing the relative positions of theleading and lifting wires or strings; also, of the warp and filling,rcspeetively.

Referring, in the first instance, or more particularly to Figs. l, 2,and 3 of the drawing, A is the frame of the loom; B, the lay, C, theharness, D, the breast-beam 5 E the clot-hbeam 5 F, the whip-roll, and Gthe arp-beam. H is a cutting Vblade or knife, ar mged over thebreast-beam, for cutting the tufts before the fabric passes through orover said beam. This cutting-blade is automatically moved by means of alever or levers set in motion by any convenient portion of the loom, andso length of the loop so formed.

that it makes a curved path across the fabric, to producewhat iscommonly called a draweut.77

The leading-wires a are passed over the top of the cloth-warp c, and arefastened at their one end to pins c at back of the breast-beam, and heldtaut or stretched at their other end by weights f, connected with crossbars or rods y, made capable of sliding in slotted side brackets I.These leading-wires are operated by the heddles, or certain of them.rlhe lifting-wires b are arranged to extend between thc leading-wiresand warp, and are similarly held and stretched at their ends by pins cand sliding cross-bars y, with attached weights and they also areoperated by the heddles, or one of them. rlhe weights f serve to produceuniformity of tension 011 the several wires as the shed is opened andclosed.

`As the loops formed by the action of the harness or jacquard motion andlaid over the leading-wires are pushed bythe lay along over said wiresto the cutter H, said cutter cuts olf, and thus separates, the tufts.V

The heddles marked 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 carrythe warp-threads, while the heddles marked 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13carry the leading-wires, and the heddle 14 the lifting-wires. By raisingone of the heddles carrying the warp-threads, a certain number, say fivethreads, are lifted high .enough to pass the shuttle underneath. Liftingfive of the heddles to which the leading-wires are attached, (oneheddleremaining down,) five leadin g-wires, corresponding with thewarp-threads which have been lifted, are left down, thereby al' lowingthe shuttle, with its thread, to pass over them. As soon as the shuttlehas passed, and the shuttle-thread to form the tufts is in the properposition, the shed is closed, and, as the leading wires and warp threadspreviously raised are carried downward, the weft-thread is looped overthe leading-wires already down, the distance between which determiningthe As the warpthreads are arranged a little below the lead ing-wires,they depress the weft-thread lower than the leading-wires, and, in thismanner, tend to increase the length of the loop, as shown in Fig. 9. Thetuft-thread is next beaten up by the lay, it having, in the abovemanner, been passed under a number of threads inthe warp, and alsopassed over a number of the leadingwires, and the next groundvshot bindsthe tuft thread in the back. As the weaving proceeds, making threefigure shots or motions of the shuttle for the tuft, and one or twoground-shots for the back,the tufts are pushed forward by the lay, and,as the finished cloth is taken awa-y by the take-up, the tufts are cut,andthe pile or plush separated bythe cutting apparatus, and, as theclot-h leaves the cutting apparatus, the tufts are raised by theliftingwires,the use of which will be understood when it is remembered,as hereinbefore explained, that the loops are floated on the surface,and

bound into the back by one warp-thread, so that the tufts would, whencut, lie matted and packed tight on the surface of the goods, and wouldrequire giggin g and brushing to set them up. To obvia-te this thelifting-wires b are introduced under and between each row of tufts.

It will be seen that the distance between the fabric and theleading-wires is gradually increased as the fabric is fed along, and, inthis manner, each tuft is raised upV and left standing when the fabricleaves the lifting-wires.

To operate the liftin g-wires, one heddle only, numbered 14, is necessary, when the tuft-thread is looped around but one warp-thread, as allthe lifting-wires have, in such case, to remain under the shuttle, whiletwo or more heddles, applied to the lifting wires, are necessary whenthe tutt-thread is passed under two or more warp-threads.

When a jacquardanachine is used, any one of the warp-threads or liftingand leading wires can be lifted or let down.

Referring, in the next instance, or more particularly, to Figs. 4, 5, 6,and 7 of the drawing, instead of the reciprocating blade orcutting-knife H, a rotating cylinder, H', and a comb-shapedcutting-blade, J, as shown in Fig. 4, might be used.

Fig. 5 shows another modification of cut ting apparatus, consisting of anumber of cutters, 7L, corresponding to the number of leading-wires.These cutters are of a hook shape, and the leadingwires are loopedaround them in such a way that each4 tuft-loop slides over thecutting-edges t' of said cutters, and, as the lay pushes the fabricalong, the loops are drawn tight over the cutting-edges and ultimatelycut in two or separated, the lifting l wires operating as hereinbeforedescribed.

Another mode of cutting the tufts is shown in Figs. G and 7. The cuttingapparatus there represented consists of a number of steel nee dles, It,like common darning-needles, clamped upon a metal plate, K, by means ofa plate, l.. A thin strip of rubber is put in between the needles andplate l to firmly secure the needles in their proper places. of eachneedle is fastened one of the leadingwires, while on top of all theneedles rests a cutting-blade, L, fastened to afplate, M, and extendingfrom two to three inches beyond the width of the fabric. This cuttingblade or knife is automatically moved by means of a bell-crank, whichderives its motion from any suitable attachment with the loom, and has acurvilinear action as it reciprocates, to produce a draweut. As thetufts are pushed up by the lay, and each row comes toward thecutting-edge of the blade, the part of the tutt `on top of the needlesis cut oli', and the tufts Through the eye 1 reciprocating cutter Il, asshown in Figs. l, 2, and 3 of the drawing.

To explain more minutely the operation of the invention, and itsadaptability to cut different lengths of tufts, reference will now bemade more particularly to Figs. 8, 9, and l0 of the drawing. Fig. 8shows asection through the shed of the loom when open,and aft-er thetuft-thread m has been introduced. In this figure a2 a4 a6 a8 al al? aals represent the leading-wires lifted up, while a1 a3 a5 al a9 au cl3alf represent the row of leading-wires left down. Thus there are showneight wires under the tuft-thread m, while the warp-threads left downare represented by the row of circles c2 04 cG cE 010 012 c14 016, andthose raised up to fasten the thread m are shown by c1 c3 c5 c7 o9 cuc13 015, and are here also eight in number, corresponding with thenumber of leadingwires under the tuft-thread. Fig. 9 shows the shedclosed, with the tuft-thread m bent, as there represented, and passingunder the warp-thread c1, between the lifting-wires I) and theleading-wires, over the leading-wire al, under adjacent leading-wires,and over the lifting-wires, to and under the warp-thread c3, and so onover the leading-wires a3 a5 al a9 a a am, and under the warp-threadsc5, el, e9, c, cl3, and d5. If, under this disposition of the severalwires and threads, a ground-shot be now put in, and the tuft-thread m,thus fastened in the fabric,be pushed by the lay to the cuttingmechanism, and the thread m be cut at the points al, a3, a5, a, a9,6011,60, and @15, there will then be formed tufts of the length ofthreads between the warp-threads to which the tufts are fastened and thetop of the leading-wires.

In Fig. l0 the lifting-wires b are represented in their raised conditionfor straightening the tufts, said gure also showing a section of thefabric in front of the tufts 5 of which, in accordance with thedisposition of the several leading-wires and warp-threads in Figs. S and9, there are here represented three double tufts, ml m2 m3, of equallength, owing to the thread m being passed over leading-wires in themiddle between the binding warp-threads, next two tufts, m4 m5, havingone long and one short portion each, and following these three tufts, m6m7 m8, of equal length again, but shorter than the first three, whilethe pieces of the tuft-thread is clean cut out and left on thelifting-wires, and thus separated from the fabric.

These changes in the disposition and lengths of the tufts and theportions composing them illustrate the variable character and extent ofthe invention, and its adaptability to weave tufted or pile fabrics, orto cut out and remove threads that are wanted only at one point, as

' it were, of a fabric, for the purpose of producing a spot of adifferent color, shade, or material, and where it is impossible toconceal the thread in the body of the fabric, as, for instance, in themanufacture of shawls. Again,

in cloakings, it is often desirable to produce lines or patterns oftufts of different length, some curled and cut in two, while other rowsare curled and not cut, as in certain imitations of goods lknown asastracham while in some cases it is desirable to loop the tuft threadaround more than one warp-thread, and leave openings between the tufts,to show a different-colored ground. Our invention is capable ofproducing all these modifications by simply changing the pattern chainor chains in harness-motion looms, or the patterncard of thejacquard-machine.

In recapitulation of the various changes which the invention is capableof producing, those skilled in the art to which the invention relateswill readily perceive that a tuft may be looped around each warp-thread,or it may be looped around two or more, and yet it can be cut at anypoint, to produce any desired length of tuft. Furthermore, it is notnecessary to separately or additionally secure the tufts, as whencutting them by the methods heretoforepractieed, because, in the presentcase, the whole length of the tuft-thread is firmly held down on thesurface of the back, while it is severed by the cutting apparatus.Another advantage is, that the tufts are raised gradually from the back,and not pulled up from the surface, as when gigged or brushed up. Thisprotects or preserves the tufts, so that a filling which is very looselytwisted can be used when a fur-like surface is wanted, as, for instance,in making imitation seal-skin. By being able, also, to entirely cut outa piece or pieces of the tuft-thread or filling, as hereinbeforedescribed, a variety of patterns can be made, and which it would be veryexpensive to produce under previous methods. Thus, supposing it isrequired to have a tuft of black one inch long in or on a surface ofwhite one-half inch long, and yet keep the tufts six inches apart, wewould then ioat the black thread six inches, and cut within one inch ofthe points where the thread is fastened, leaving at each point a tuftone inch long, while a piece of the black thread four inches long isremoved.4 The lifting-wires, too, set up all the tufts, thus producing afinished fabric, ready for the market, without any further manipulationor handling, which is very important in goods formed of delicatematerials and shades.

Our invention is, of course, applicable to any loom for producing anumber of different shades of color; a shading-loom with changeableshuttles is best adapted, however. For ordinary plain pile fabrics, suchas plain velvets, a loom with three figure-shuttles and oneground-shuttle is preferable; but even a v loom with only two shuttleswillanswer, by making three shots for the figure with one shuttle, andone or two ground-shots with the other shuttle. In a hand-loom it wouldbe necessary for the weaver to change his shuttle as the patternrequired. For carpets or rugs, a loom with a jacquard-machine isnecessary to produce the number of changes required for the work to bedone.

Vhat is here claimed, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is-

l. The leading-Wires and cutting apparatus7 in combination with thelifting-Wires7 essentially as described.

2. The lifting-Wires7 in combination With the heddles, for operation bythe latter7 iu the manner and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination of the leadiugavires, the

lifting-wires, and the heddles, arranged to operate both sets of Wires,substantially as speelfled.

4:. The combination of the cutting apparatus, the leading-Wires, theliftiug-wires, aud the heddles7 essentially as herein described.

RUDOLF EICKEMEYER. GEORG-E NARR. Witnesses JosIM-I F. HARVEY, E.SCHULTZ.

